


Death Will Follow

by Javarack



Category: Sword Art Online (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Death, Depression, Gen, Sad, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2020-09-24 09:48:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20356453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Javarack/pseuds/Javarack
Summary: Sachi was an average girl excited to play SAO. It would finally help her escape her past and move on with her life, or so she thought... Follow along as Sachi struggles with the memories of her past as she fights to live in Sword Art Online.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story began years ago but I only just finished it recently. I hope you all enjoy the story of Sachi!

"No!" I shouted and jolted upwards, waking from my horrible dream; my tears mixed with the cold sweat that drenched my body. Looking down, I noticed my hands were trembling violently, and I could not suppress the feeling of absolute despair that ravaged my mind.

I glanced over at the clock resting on my bedside table, "2:01, still a while longer."

Rising off of my mattress, I made my way to the lavatory. Turning the knob on the wall, warm water began to pour from the showerhead. Letting my nightgown fall to the tiled floor, I stepped inside of the shower.

As the liquid rushed over my body, the dream returned to me.  
  
  
  
A loud crashing noise sounded from downstairs. I rose from my small bed and crept across my room, being as silent as I could. Opening my solid oak door, I ran across the hall to my parents room. Seeing that they were still asleep, I clambered onto their bed, causing them to stir from their slumber. They both glared at me for waking them.

"There was a loud bang, I'm scared," I explained, my emotional terror mixing with my voice.

The large door swung open and my older brother was thrown against the wooden flooring. Three men dressed in black clothing entered the room, each holding a different handgun. "Stay quiet, or we shoot the boy," the tallest assailant spoke. They pointed their weapons at us and one grabbed my father, forcing him into one of the chairs located at the small work desk.

I remained silent as the other two men restrained both of my parents to the chairs at the workstation. One came over to me, grabbing my arm and pulling me upwards off the bed. Tossing me down on the floor, a small sound escaped my lips as I made contact with the wooden flooring, the wind being knocked out of me.

"Don't hurt her, please," I could hear my mother plead.

The sound of skin connecting with skin filled my ears as one of the men backhanded her across the face.

"Mommy!" I cried, "don't hurt my mommy!"

Arms wrapped around me as my brother held me, "be quiet, we will be hurt if we aren't sis."

Even at my young age, I knew he spoke the truth. My whole body was shaking as the men began to wrap rope around our hands and feet, and placed tape over our mouths. Hot tears streamed down my face as I watched two of the men exited the room.

"You're one fine looking bitch," The remaining man commented as he made his way to my mother. "I could do so many things to you."

My father broke his silence, "Stay away from her you pig!"

Then, the gates of hell opened. Raising his weapon, he pointed the firearm at my father's head, "Say it again."

The final words I would ever hear my father speak, "You pig."

A small flash erupted from the muzzle of the weapon as the .22 caliber bullet left the chamber. A bloodcurdling screech left my mother as my father's blood splattered against her face.

Footsteps sounded from the doorway as the other two men rejoined the third, "What did you do?!"

"I-I over re-reacted, I'm s-sorry boss," The murderer answered nervously.

"Come with me rookie," the one they referred to as boss ordered, then pointed at the last man. "Clean this up."

Nodding, the tallest invader made his way to my quivering mother, while the other two left the room. Looking over at my brother and me, the man raised his finger to his lips, telling us to remain silent. Arriving at his destination, the man placed his firearm against my mother's blood covered temple. Another shot caused my ears to ring as I watched my mother's head slump over, lifeless.

Swinging his weapon over to us, another shot was fired. Blood covered the left side of my body as my brother fell into my lap, a hole through his chest. I looked back up, my vision blurry from the tears that filled them. Bang.

I opened my eyes, staring at the wall in front of me. Feeling down, I found the spot just below my right breast where the bullet had entered me. A shiver ran through my entire figure as my finger pressed slightly into the scar.

Turning the stream of water off, I stepped onto the towel located outside my tub. Wrapping myself in another bath towel, I left the bathroom and sat on the edge of my bed.

Sword Art Online comes out in a few hours. A virtual world...a place I can finally escape my past.

Now unable to sleep, I sat there, waiting for the sun to rise. As light began to filter in my room through my shutters, I got off my mattress.

I quickly got dressed, then left my small apartment. Running to the nearest gaming store, I took my place in line.

Time passed, and in my hands I held the two items that would be my saviors. The Nervegear and my very own copy of Sword Art Online.

I'll play for a while tonight, so I better eat now.

Returning home, I placed the Nervegear and game on my small work desk and went to my kitchen. Pouring a glass of water and heating up my leftovers from the previous night, I began to devour my food.

Finishing, I walked over to the wooden table that served as a working station for school. Setting the Nervegear headset up, I inserted Sword Art Online into my counsel. Placing the item over my head, I went through the initial setup procedures. My vision returned to normal, and I was gazing at my ceiling.

I took a deep breath, then spoke, "Link start!"


	2. Chapter 2

Bright colors flashed into my view as I felt my body being lifted, slowly disconnecting from it. It was an eerie feeling but something I was sure I'd get used to. Quickly I was brought to a character creation menu, seeing a blank slate of a human outline as my canvas on which I would create my new identity.

A new me… hmm. I pondered over how I should look, even briefly considering a full revamp and coming out as a buff and intimidating male. Dismissing it as my friends would only make fun of me after I finally found them, I browsed the different options ahead of me, hitting random a few times to see some possible combinations. As the game suggested, I kept the height and weight parameters the same so it wouldn't be too much of an adjustment for my new body. Otherwise, I was met with a variety of interesting, albeit peculiar, looks.

Running through a few more chance creations, one or two being far too odd for my taste, I figured I had an idea for my avatar. Grabbing some fiery red hair, I picked a longer and more defined face, trying to look older. Hate feeling like a kid… I thought, knowing how all those years ago, the most penetrating feeling I had, was uselessness.

Finally, I was satisfied with the look I would be sporting (with the game's promise that I could alter it at any time) as well as the idea of using a long spear and hit the big blue circle to show my confirmation. I jumped using my ethereal body as a big red hexagon popped out in front of me with a large ERROR in my face.

Scanning up through the options, I hit the top and saw a flashing INSERT USERNAME HERE. Blinking at this, I realized I had forgotten to put in the name I had been thinking over for the last few days. The guys had told me that I shouldn't use my real name as there were unsavory persons out there that might take advantage of any information they could get. 'Also' Our club president had reminded me, 'if you want to be a new person, it should be a completely new identity.' After final consideration, I punched in the name the guys had suggested to me, though first taking a second trying to figure out if it was more ironic or depressing. I pressed accept again as the screen in front of me took the information and a bright light engulfed my whole person. I felt my being altered slightly as a bright light brought me to an open courtyard.

Glancing around, I saw a plethora of other players bustling by, all sporting similar clothing with only color variants. They also had a wide range of weapon types, but they all appeared to be simple ones. I didn't want to waste time looking for my friends, but I couldn't help but poke my sides with my fingers, testing the realism of the game. As far as I could tell, this could be the real me in a real world. Walking past some shops, I found a sheen circular shield and picked it up, peering into it. My face… is gone. I really do look like this…

A man standing over the shop looked over at me and smiled. "Anything I can get an adventurer like yourself?" Above his head in thick letters was NPC SHOPKEEPER. He seems so real…How do I select how to talk to him? I looked down for a possible menu or anything, but nothing appeared.  
"Um, no thank you?" I tentatively replied as I put the shield back down, unsure if speech was the proper response. He nodded satisfied and went back to looking straight forward, waiting for another customer. This world… It really is one of its own.

I walked off slowly, all the while being amazed as to the possibilities of having my own identity and life here. I could get away from it all…

As I perused the Town of Beginnings, I looked for the exit to the fields, remembering my friends had all wanted to meet there. As I looked around I saw a few players busy with their own friends and buying things. Not one for speaking up and interrupting them, I searched for someone who was alone.

Ahead of me I saw a kid running in my direction with blue clothing. I needed directions and he seemed alone, so I chose him. I need to break my shell with this new body… I reached out a bit and said a probably too soft, "excuse me" as he ran by. Sliding on his heels to stop, he turned to look at me. His avatar was completely plain, possibly the default one, his clothes were a dark blue, and there was a single sword hanging over his shoulder. Um… I froze a bit.

Looking at me quizzically, he eyed my look and came out with, "Nice avatar."

"T-thanks. Um. I… Could you show me the way to the… where the monsters and outside…" I felt myself tightening up approaching a total stranger like this.

"You need to know where the fields are… miss?" he asked, his tone seemed unsure with the last word, as if questioning my actual gender.

I simply nodded, too worried about fumbling over my words again.

Turning towards where he was running, he pointed off, "head that way and take a right when you see the wooden armor stand. Keep going till you see the plaza."

"A-Arigato…" I trailed off, not knowing the boy's name, with a slight head bow.

"Good luck." He flashed a smile and sped off again, only to be caught by another player, this time a pink haired guy with a bandanna.

Following his directions, I made my way out of the city. Seeing a few straggling people headed off to the fields or back to the city, I scanned for my friends. Under a large tree sat three boys, with one more lying flat on his back. Gingerly I walked over towards them. All eyes on me as I approached, I cleared my throat and started with a light, "Hey."

"Are you looking for something, miss?" Again with this 'Miss.' What the heck?

"It's me guys. Computer club?"

At that every single eye popped open in disbelief, the one lying down springing up to a startled sitting position. I hid my face with one of my hands and some of my new red hair, suddenly embarrassed.

"Wow, so Mik… I mean Sachi, it's amazing how different you look." Ducker remarked as we walked through the fields.

"Heh, I feel kinda weird in this body actually. Like I'm not actually me. But that's a good thing I think." I finished, feeling more positive about my look, having received nothing but approval from my friends.

Having taught me the basics of the menu, they showed me how to materialize my items, surprising me when a large spear appeared in front of my face, forcing me to catch it. It was surprisingly light. Now walking with it in my hands, I marveled at the fact that we were going off to Physically Kill a monster. It kept me jittery in nervousness as well as a tinge of fear, knowing I've never been into violence. This will be a big change…

"Okay Sachi, this one is yours," our leader, Keita, said, remembering my new name.

I walked forward uneasily as the Wild Boar stared me down. Holding my spear out in front of me, I waited for it to charge, simply using my length advantage as a plan to win. As it ran towards me, I kept the spear's tip pointed at its head. It got closer towards me, almost to my weapon, when I faltered and ended up being thrown on my ass, my health bar showing a bit of a decrease. No pain… I thought as I stood back up. Taking a deep breath, I trained my weapon at the monster again as shouts of encouragement came behind me, "You can do it Sachi!"

Feeling a bit more confident, especially after seeing my friends take their turns, I waited for the boars charge, but this time stabbed forward as it approached. My spear struck through the creature's skull as it stopped dead, impaled on my pole. After a final squeal, it burst into a plethora of floating lights and a small window appeared in front of me, proclaiming my victory and winnings.

Having fought monsters for the last hour or so, we regrouped and headed back towards the town. That was until we ran into a small circle of people. "C'mon guys. Let's check it out." our unofficial leader suggested.

Walking forward, we arrived in time to see one player get knocked backwards onto the ground, a large banner of DEFEAT thrown over him. Slowly, we watched the boy stand again, and walk over to his opponent.

"Oh cmon. It's no fun if you just lunge out with your sword and win instantly. There's no sport in that." The boy, no older than myself, punched the winner's arm playfully, trying to evoke a response.

"Okay, okay. You make the duel this time." The other one said, visibly years older, probably a young adult.

The loser walked back a few feet and made swiped his menu a few times. Watching the other's surprised look, we saw him smile softly before confirming. A large timer and banner appeared between the teens. TOTAL LOSS MODE In big letters. A fight to… the death? I shifted my body uncomfortably, not entertained by the thought in the slightest.

"Ready Onii-san?" The challenger taunted.

"Loser buys food after they respawn, Otouto," he smiled, sure of himself.

Brothers…

The timer struck zero and both boys launched forward with imposing shouts. Quickly trading blows, neither of them able to defend very well, their health bars hit yellow, the older brother before the younger. During a lull, they continued their taunts, though neither of their fighting styles were much to speak of. "That all you got?"

"Please, you haven't seen anything yet."

They continued their battle, the older brother jumping over the younger at one point, both of them becoming ragged in their breathing.

Stopping, both of their healths turning red, the match was about to be over.

"Hey little brother." The older fighter started. "Say goodnight!" He shouted, bending his arm back behind his head. His sword began to glow a bright purple as he smiled widely. His challenger seemed lost as to what to do, and simply stood there in shock. The crowd cheered at the site, egging on the fight and happy to see such a strong finish.

The young man launched forward with his sword extended, his speed amazingly quick. The blade pierced the younger's chest and ran through him, going hilt deep.

The crowd broke into a roar of approval as the boys health dropped to nothing and he disappeared in a bounty of shining lights. The older brother whooped and held up his sword victoriously.

It was then that a large bell rang out.


	3. Chapter 3

"Where am I?" I whispered to myself as the blue light receded from my figure.

Looking around, I saw a plethora of people. Confusion filled my mind as I glanced around. Wait… I was just here… This is the starting town.'

I heard a few mumbles before people began to shout, "What's happening?"

"Can we log out now?"

What does he mean? You can log out anytime. I swiped my finger downward and the in-game menu opened before me. I went to the options menu and saw a blank space where the logout button was originally located. I shook my head a few times, then closed the menu. Beside me, Ducker was going through his menu, coming to the same realization that I had.

People continued to comment on the sudden forced teleport to the plaza of the Town of Beginnings, but one voice could be heard above the rest, "Ah! Look above!"

I shot my head upwards, watching as the bottom of the second floor, one hundred meters in the air, began to turn red. It appeared in a hexagonal pattern, with words crisscrossing each other, saying Warning and System Announcement. The sky continued to change, until the entire underside of the next floor was bathed in a blood red color.

A liquid began to ooze out of the pattern, and it looked similar to blood. 'Blood…' The new liquid began to morph, and it appeared to be taking a humanoid form. A twenty meter tall man was floating there, wearing a hooded robe. Confusion and dread swirled around in my conscience. The air was crackling with tension as the other players waited for some sign that this was all supposed to occur.

I trained my eyes on the hood. I could clearly see inside of it, but all that welcomed my probing vision was nothingness. No face. No sign of humanity.

Players began to call out again, "Is that a GM?"

"Why doesn't it have a face?"

Then the right hand of the enormous robe waved, as if to silence them. A white gloved hand appeared from beneath the folds of the robe. Like the rest of the figure, it had no connection to a body, just a floating glove held by darkness. The left arm began to rise, and another glove appeared. With its two disembodied hands, the man spread out the sleeves of his robe, as if to embrace all of the players.

A low and calm voice resonated from high in the air, "Players, I welcome you to my world."

My muscles relaxed slightly, the thought that this was a developer of the game eased my mind. 'He is going to tell us that the log out glitch is being repaired, and we will be able to return home soon.'

The GM began to speak once again, "My name is Kayaba Akihiko. Right now, I am the only person who can control this world."

A player shouted, "Kayaba?! The creator NerveGear and Sword Art Online?"

'He created this? All of this?'

"You are correct," Kayaba continued. "Now, I believe most of you have discovered the fact that the log out button has disappeared from the main menu. This is not a bug, it is all part of Sword Art Online's system."

I heard a faint whisper from the left side of me, "Part of… the system?"

"Until you get to the top of this castle, you cannot log out of your own free will," Kayaba continued.

'Castle? There isn't a building like that anywhere around.'

What Kayaba said next destroyed any thought of living a normal life that remained in my mind, "Also, the discontinuation or dismantling of the NerveGear from the outside is strictly forbidden. If these things are attempted…"

Silence, not a single sound could be heard. The suspense of what Kayaba was waiting to say could be felt across the plaza, jumping in between ten-thousand avatars.

Kayaba's last sentence came slowly, "The signal sensors in your NerveGear will emit a strong electromagnetic pulse, destroying your brain and stopping all basic function."

It felt like any breath I had just left my lungs, and I coughed. Fear raced through my mind, 'Destroy our brains...All that means is that it will...kill us. No! There is no way video game can kill you!' Players began to mutter, but no sign of panic revealed itself. Either the players did not believe what they had just heard, or, like me, refused to.

Keita was standing next to me, and he held his head in his hands. His pupils were dilated, and his body was ravaged by tremors. Utter despair at the situation, 'Just like back then…' That sight broke me, and I fell to my knees.

"To be a little more specific, dislocation from an outside source of electricity for more than ten minutes, being cut off from the system for more than two hours, or any attempt to unlock, dismantle, or destroy NerveGear. If any of these conditions are met, the brain destruction sequence will start. These conditions have been made known to the government and the public through mass-media in the outside world. On that note, there have been several cases where the relatives or friends have ignored the warnings and tried to forcefully get rid of the NerveGear. The result…" Kayaba took a breath before continuing, "regretfully, 213 players have already exited this game, and the real world forever."

In the distance, I heard a long thin scream. No one else spoke, still forcing themselves to reject what Kayaba was saying.

Kayaba's monotone voice took the remaining hope of all the people, "Players, there is no need to worry about the bodies that you have left on the other side. As of this moment, all TV, radio, and internet media are all repeatedly reporting this situation, including the fact that there have been numerous deaths. The danger of having your NerveGear taken off has already disappeared. In a moment, using the two hours I have given, all of you will be transported to hospitals or similar institutes and be given the best treatment. So you can relax...and focus on beating the game."

To the left of me, about twenty meters away, I saw the boy that had given me directions. He was looking towards the sky, and I could hear him shouting, "What are you saying!? Beat the game!? You want us to play around in a situation like this!?"

The final phrase the boy yelled confirmed what Kayaba had been saying, "This isn't a game anymore!"

Once again, Kayaba spoke, as if reiterating the fact the boy had just stated, "But I ask of you all to understand that Sword Art Online is no longer a simple game. It is a second reality...from now on, any form of revival in the game will no longer work. The moment that your HP reaches zero, your avatar is gone forever, and at the same time, your brain will be destroyed by the NerveGear."

I heard a body fall, and looked up from the ground to see the man that had beaten his brother in a duel. Tears were streaming down his face, "No…"  
A small bar was glowing in the top corner of my vision, 324/324. 'That is my life, the only thing that is holding me to my real body.'

Kayaba's voice boomed, "Players, there is only one way to be freed from this game, as I have said before, you must get to the top of Aincrad, the one hundredth floor and defeat the final boss that resides there. All players still alive at that time will be immediately logged out of the game. I give you all my word."

Dead silence. Not a single soul made a sound. Then, next to the boy who had spoken out, an older man began to shout, "Clear...all one hundred floors!? How do you want us to do that!? I heard that getting up that high was crazy hard, even during beta testing."

The silence gave way to low murmuring, but no one panicked.

Kayaba continued, void of all emotion, "Then I will show you evidence that this the only reality. In your inventories there will be a gift from me. Please confirm this."

I swiped my finger down slowly. The plaza was filled with the sound of ringing bells. Everything that Kayaba had just said had made me light headed. Using what my friends had taught me, I found the items button and pressed it, bringing up a side menu. A new item had appeared, Hand Mirror. I pressed the Make Into Object icon and a mirror appeared in my hand.

I gazed into the mirror, but all that looked back at me was the red hair of the avatar I had chosen. Then, I was engulfed by white light. A few seconds passed, and I was still looking into the mirror, but what greeted me was completely different than it was just a few moments ago. I saw my black hair, with its shiny blue tint, and my small face, just like I had in the real world. 'It is...me.'

All of my friends that were around me looked just like they did yesterday. People surrounded me, they all looked like a normal human would. Average height, multiple age ranges, but they looked human. Everyday people that you would pass by on the streets of Tokyo.

"You all will most probably be wondering 'why.' Why am I-the creator of both NerveGear and SAO, Kayaba Akihiko-doing something like this? Is this a sort of terrorist attack? Is he doing this to ransom us?" Kayaba paused for a moment before continuing. "None of these is the reason I am doing this. Not only that, but now for me, there is no longer a reason or purpose in doing this. The reason is because...this situation itself was my purpose in doing this. To create and watch this world is the only reason I have created the NerveGear and Sword Art Online. And now, everything has been realized."

"Now I have finished the official tutorial for Sword Art Online. Players, I wish you luck." 

Then the robe started to go into the red sky, almost as if it was melting into the cracks of the floor.

The game returned to normal around me, and now, finally, the players gave a proper reaction.

"It's a joke right…? The hell is this? It's a joke right!?"

"Stop kidding around! Let me out! Let me out of here!"

"No! You can't! I've got to meet someone soon!"

"I don't like this! I'm gonna go home! I want to go home!"

Yells. Clamors. Shouts. Curses. Begging. And screaming.

'Death, it is all around me. I can't escape…'

A hand grabbed my shoulder, and Ducker shook me, "Let's go Sachi, we should go to an inn and rest."

I could not respond, dread gripped my conscious and strangled my brain, immobilizing me. Keita grasped my arm and pulled me to my feet. My fellow computer club members, almost dragging me, began going to the inn. People were running around frantically, while some were just standing in the spot they had been teleported to, dumbfounded at what had just occurred.  
We entered the inn, and Keita purchased two rooms for the night with the starting money that had been given, as everything was reset. We made our way up the stairs and entered one room.

"We need to decide what to do," Keita explained. "We can't just give up on our lives."

'Do whatever you want, I just want to stay here...forever. In this town.'

Every member of computer club talked, except me. They came up with a plan for tomorrow, but I tuned out of the discussion. The meeting broke apart, and we split up and went into two different rooms. I was stumbling, and Ducker offered me the bed. I collapsed onto the mattress. The terror of what had just been revealed still ravaged my mind, and I couldn't sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Morning came; the sun rising above the horizon of this artificial world. Rays of sunlight pierced through the dark veil that rested in the small inn room. The light cast a glow onto my face that highlighted my tired, drooping eyes. I had not slept; no matter how hard I tried my eyes would not close. Rustling sounded from the left side of the bed. I peered over the edge and saw Ducker beginning to stir from his slumber. ‘How could he sleep…’ He rose from the floor and stretched, then ruffled his dirty blonde hair. 

Yawning, he greeted, “Good morning Sachi.” All I could manage was a head nod back. “I guess I’ll let you have the room to yourself for a bit, let you do your...womanly things.” Ducker seemed to laugh at this comment as he made his way to the oak door and exited the room. Reluctantly, I spun my body around and stood up off of the bed. Tear stains could be seen in the pillow from where I had cried my soul out. ‘I hope he didn’t hear me.’ I stretched my arms out, listening to the satisfying pop of my joints. Memories of the previous day flashed in my mind, causing my body to shutter. Quickly shaking my head to rid myself of those decrepit thoughts, I moved toward the door. As I reached for the knob, a voice sounded from the opposite side.

“Hey Sachi, we wanted to have a meeting about what we should do moving forward. We’d like for you to join us.”

I opened the door to see Keita standing there. He was a whole head taller than me, with brown hair that seemed to shine in the lighting. Waving his arm, Keita motioned me to follow him. My eyes stared forward as he led me to the other room. As we entered, my computer club members rose from their seats on the couch and bed. Sasamaru, Tetsuo, and Ducker had grins on their faces. They appeared...happy. ‘How could anyone be happy at a time like this?’ 

“Okay guys,” Keita spoke up, raising his voice slightly. “We need to discuss what our plan is moving forward. The road ahead will not be easy, we all know this. Let’s not hang our heads yet, this game, no, this life, has just begun.”

All the members besides myself nodded in agreement. Sasamaru spoke up, “There is a guild feature in this game, maybe we should create one just for us? It would let us keep track of each other.”

Keita nodded, “Agreed, any objections?”

When no one shook their head, I watched as Keita opened his menu and selected the guild tab. I could not keep track of every movement he made, but after a minute passed, a notification box appeared in front of me, <>. ‘The name of our club back home…’ Slowly, my hand rose and I tapped on the blue circle, confirming my membership to the newly formed guild. A small symbol appeared next to my health bar in the upper left corner of my vision. 

“I think there is only one thing we have to do,” Keita paused for a moment, “survive!”

Every member of the Moonlit Black Cats rose their fist in the air and whooped enthusiastically, except for me. “Let’s go to the fields and level up,” Tetsuo suggested. Facing no resistance, the group of friends made their way to the hallway with me tailing slowly behind. My friends talked and walk through the inn into the city. Glancing around, I noticed large amounts of people still in the beginning town. I felt a connection with them. ‘I don’t want to leave either, I’m scared too...I don’t want to die.’ I followed a couple of meters behind my new guild, holding my head down. With each step I took closer to the outside fields, my head pounded. The world around me faded out as thoughts filled my head. ‘I’m going to die. No one is here to save me. It’s that night all over again.’ 

“Hey Sachi, hurry up!” Ducker’s voice sounded from ahead of me, breaking my string of unpleasant thoughts. I shook my head back and forth, clearing my mind before sprinting to catch up with the group. A large arc loomed over my head as we reached the exit of the town. I slowly pulled out my spear, watching as small monsters materialized in the distance across the plains. Keita led us toward the boars, making sure to go slow to not agro them. He whispered, “We’ll surround one at a time.” Everyone nodded and began to take their positions as we drew closer to the first enemy. I clinched the wooden rod of my spear tightly, my knuckles turning white from the force of my grip. 

With our positions secure, the boar had no place to go. Keita nodded and I watched as everyone slowly advanced. I went to lift my foot up and step forward, but it would not move in the slightest. ‘I’m so scared…’ I looked around; no one noticed that I had not moved. Keita shouted and everyone pounced forward, a skill activated. The boar reacted surprisingly quick, running straight in my direction. It turned before reaching me, running off into the plains. My spear fell from my hands as I fell to my knees. My body trembled from the fear I felt in that moment. 

“ARG! It got away!” Ducker exclaimed into the air. “Sachi! Why didn’t you move in?!”

He yelled at me. ‘They wouldn’t understand…’ I slowly stood up, “...I’m sorry…” Keita walked over and put his hand on my shoulder, reassuring me that everything would be okay. I slowly rose up from my position on the ground and lifted up my spear. 

“Let’s try again!” Ducker exclaimed. My compatriots and I moved deeper into the plains, further from the safety of town. With each step I took, my breathing slowly increased its pace. Lead seemed to form in my legs as monsters continued to spawn around us. Their eyes tore into me; I could feel the murderous intent behind the soulless pupils of these digital monstrosities. ‘I-I can’t die…’ Suddenly, my ears picked up a blood curdling scream from ahead of us. I squinted my eyes to focus my sight and spotted a girl getting swarmed by boars and wolves. “Hurry guys! We have to help!” Ducker shouted back at us as he sped off to help the lady. Everyone followed behind him, letting out battle cries as they charged forward. Unlike them, I stood still. My chest was clinching up; it was hard to breathe. It felt as if my body was buried in sand, preventing my chest from expanding. As if on cue, black dots began to fill my vision and my knees gave out, causing me to fall to the ground. I rose my hand up to my chest, panting as I hyperventilated. The aching pain caused tears to stream down my flush cheeks.   
“...Hel….p” was all I could manage before my face hit the sun warmed grass and my eyes closed. A faint, “Noooooo” was the final thing I heard before consciousness left my body.

My eyes flashed open, but all that surrounded me was darkness. I shot up in the bed I was laying on and blinked my eyes quickly to force their adjustment to the environment. A new inn room greeted me. Moonlight caused a dim glow to resonate from the white walls and bed spread. I thought it was kind of unsettling, the white was the color associated with skeletons. My breathing seemed to return to normal while I was unconscious. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up, but stumbled a bit as I felt needles tingle in my calves. ‘My legs are still asleep.’ I could not help but giggle at the feeling. An apifiny hit me, that was the first time I had laughed since it was revealed we would be stuck in the game. Voices reached my ears softly, as if they were far away. I slowly moved from near the window to the door on the opposite side of the room. As I drew closer, I could make out the tones of my guildmates. 

“...I can’t believe we couldn’t save her!” 

“Someone died right in front of our eyes…”

‘What are they talking about, I’m alive and standing right here’ Then it hit me. A flashback played in my mind. A brunette girl screamed out in a mix or terror and agony. Her body was being mauled and tore apart by wolves and boars. Red gashes appeared all over her body, and tears streamed down her face as the monsters assaulted her. I took a sharp breath as the flashback left me. ‘They didn’t save her in time.’ I pushed the door completely open and stepped into the room, trembling as I felt my friend’s eyes move to me. “I-I-I’m sorry…” my voice stuttered and trailed off, it was hard enough to face them, I could not bring myself to speak. 

“Sachi!” Keita exclaimed my name. I was taken aback when he ran and embraced me. A rush of emotions overtook me: embarrassment, nervousness, happiness, greif. I could feel my body begin to tremble against his as warm tears streamed down my face. I shoved my face into his chest and let the tears pour out; all the emotions I had bottled up for years fell from my eyes. It felt like hours passed in that moment. I cried until the tears stopped flowing, then I lightly pushed Keita away and sniffled a bit, rubbing my eyes dry. I lifted my head up and made eye contact with my guildmates. They each a fire deep within them that I wanted to match. I could see that they would stand beside me during this journey in Sword Art Online. A slight warmth welled up within me. The icy wall I had constructed around my heart developed a slight crack, and a slight sliver of my former, innocent self emerged. ‘I think I can do this...I can survive!’


	5. Chapter 5

I swiped my hand down, causing the in-game menu to materialize in front of me. ‘April 8th, 2023. Just over five months since we got trapped in this horrid game.’ Time seemed to drag by for the first month or so of Sword Art Online. No one had found the boss room for the first floor until three weeks after the beginning of the game. My guild did not participate in the raid, but we heard tales through word of mouth of the events that transpired within the boss room. Death, sweat, sound of metal on metal were all descriptions I had heard from passersby in the local towns and inns. After the fight, word of a player calling themselves a “Beater” spread through the Sword Art Online community. It was rumored they were the strongest in the game at these early stages, a former beta tester that knew the in-and-outs of the system. ‘I wish I could be as strong as them… I wouldn’t have to worry about dying.’

It was hard to believe, but the game had already advanced to floor eleven. Keita had decided that we should help clear the game, so we moved to the newest floor with the goal of joining the assault team, even though I objected numerous times. I did not feel ready, I had just started to fight monsters consistently, up to this point I had been carried by my friends from the school computer club. They had taken me to the Taft weapon and armor shop, where I used Col I had earned from our encounters to purchase upgraded equipment. With a new spear and a steel chestguard equipped to my character I felt more confident than I had at any other point in this horrid game. 

I stretched my arms up above my head, letting out a soft moan as my muscles flexed and constricted before loosening. The feeling of my joints popping was soothing; my body had been so tense since the beginning of Sword Art Online. The way I felt now was new to me, or at least, it had been an extraordinarily long time since I felt this way. Ever since those men had invaded my home and murdered my family and shot me, I had always felt paranoid. Now, however, I felt a slight bit of security and...comfort in the fact that I at least knew how to defend myself and had friends who would come to my rescue. ‘I can’t imagine what it would be like to be alone in this hell.’ The idea of this sent a small shudder down my spine. I swept my legs over the side of the bed and rose up. My hair blew over my eyes due to the small gust of wind from the open window. Everything felt so real, it was astonishing. Silk sheets were smooth and soft, the wind on my face felt just how I remembered it in the real world. I was currently in just my undergarments, so I equipped my usual clothing. With my armor present, I opened the door from my inn room and walked downstairs to the main lobby, where I spotted my group of friends waiting for me. 

“Now we’re all here, let us get down to business,” Keita announced to us. “There is a labyrinth on this floor that has not been explored yet, according to the info broker I paid. I say we be the first to clear and loot it. It may be our opportunity to establish ourselves as a formidable guild in this game!” 

I could feel how excited he was by his expression and the tone of his voice, but my nerves had me on edge. My new found security was a reassurance, but I did not feel ready to move onto such a hefty challenge quite yet. My eyes scanned the faces of my friends, and evidently, I was the only one who was unsure. Each of them had a gleam in their eye that I clearly lacked. Everyone nodded in agreement with Keita, so I followed their example and agreed to his plan as well. 

“Great! Go get ready in town. We’ll head out at noon!” Keita finished the meeting and sent us on our separate ways. 

I made my way to the door, opened it, and left the local lodging. Taft was a mostly urban city, with a plethora of two story buildings that were close together. I made my way down the main street of the city, passing by numerous shops and street vendors offering a wide assortment of items. Weapons, crystals, and food were all items that could be purchased. I turned down a small alley that normally was not used, as the buildings of Taft are too close together for most people to squeeze through. My petite frame allowed me to barely fit. Once I was through, I followed a backroad for a few minutes before reaching a bridge on the edge of town. There was a small ledge that could be used to climb next to the drain below. Now under the bridge, I sat down against the wall and pulled my knees up to my face and put my head into them. ‘I can’t believe they want to challenge an area that hasn’t been explored by one of the lead guilds. I’m not ready for that!’ I screamed this in my head. This death game was stressful, the idea I could die at any turn was frightening. ‘Noon…’ The thought trailed off in my head as I began to cry.

Keita led us to the beginning of the labyrinth and went over our battle strategy before we finally entered. It seemed as if the darkness swallowed us whole as we entered the cave. All light was being devoured by the black hole that filled the cave. Once my eyes adjusted, I could make out tunnels leading deeper into the recesses of the cavern. I stuck close to Tetsuo, as he was out only forward. ‘I’ll be safe with the tank of out guild.’ Flashes of light erupted twelve meters in front of us, signaling the spawn of monsters. I hesitated slightly, then pulled out my spear. Tetsuo charged forward with his small shield and mace, with Keita close behind. After blocking an attack with his shield, Tetsuo yelled out, “switch!” I watched as Keita spun around him and smashed the creature with his staff, causing it to break into multi-colored polygons. 

“Nice!” I stuttered. My heart pounded in my chest. ‘Why am I so nervous? We easily beat that monster.’ I couldn’t help the unease in my heart. We progressed further, vanquishing any creatures that dared to spawn. Level ups, treasure chest, everything seemed to be going our way. I felt...happy fighting alongside my friends. I even defeated a monster myself! The joy I felt shocked me. We continued progressing at a breakneck pace. A large cavern opened before us after about an hour of dungeon crawling. Ducker ran ahead of everyone and pointed to a treasure chest sitting in the back of the room. We made our way toward it quickly, when suddenly tens of monsters spawned around us. Tetsuo took point, blocking as many attacks as he could. Each of us switched off with him, but it didn’t seem like we could make a dent in the enemies numbers. All of us were taking damage at an alarming rate. ‘Is this how we go out?’ I wondered this is my head as I looked at my friends health gauges in the top left corner of my vision. Tetsuo let out a scream as he took a massive blow from an enemy and went flying into the ground. I lost the grip on my spear seeing this and it rattled to the ground. ‘We’re done for…’ All the negative emotions that had finally been suppressed flooded back to me in a heartbeat. I let out a scream as a monster held up its sword above my head.

A gust of wind rushed in from the tunnel leading to this cavern, and pixels swarmed in front of me. ‘What just happened?’ I looked up from my kneeling position on the ground to see a boy in a black coat standing before me. “Are you okay?” he shouted at me as he continued to fend off the wave of monsters. I nod to him, slowly getting up from the ground. Looking around, I saw that my friends were still fighting. The mysterious man charged in, easily dispatching of the enemies. “I’ll cover, you guys get out of here!” I made my way to tunnel we had came in from, taking a glance at my health bar, which was in the low yellow. My computer club members followed behind me as I lead them to the entrance of the dungeon. 

Sunlight blinded me as I emerged from the cave system, my hand instinctively lifting up to protect my fragile eyes. Tetsuo fell to his knees once he was safely outside, “I’m sorry guys, I shouldn’t have charged in like that. I aggroed the whole dungeon.” I could tell he was down on himself, honestly we all were. Our lives were almost lost there, if it hadn’t been for that guy who rushed in to save us. ‘What’s this weird feeling in my chest?’

Movement stirred from the entrance to the cavern. The man appeared, seemingly unharmed. I saw Keita run up to him and hold out his hand to shake with the stranger. I could not make out what he said to him, but after a moment of discussion Keita ran back to us. “Kirito agreed to join us for a drink when we get back to Taft.”

Keita took turns introducing my friends to this Kirito man. I was the last one to be introduced. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I shyly greeted. Keita continued to talk to Kirito while the others drank and discussed the raid on the dungeon. I overheard Kirito state his level, which he said was only 20. ‘He’s only level 20? Wow…’ 

“Have you joined a guild?” Keita abruptly ask.

I could see that Kirito was hesitant at first before he answered, “No, I’ve always been a solo player since this game started.”

“We’d love to have you join us, if you’re willing. Right guys?” Keita turned towards us, directing his question at all of us. 

“Yeah!” “You’d be great!” “We need another person up front with Tetsuo.” 

Everyone gave encouraging words, but all I could do was nod. “What do you say Kirito? Will you join us? Please?” Keita materialized the guild agreement form from his inventory and put it in front of Kirito. He sat there for a minute, thinking it over. I could see the uncertainty on his face. He looked up at all of us, then let out a slight sigh as he signed the paper. Once it was complete, our guild logo appeared next to his name. “Welcome to the Moonlit Black Cats!”

I was stunned that he had actually joined. We were just a group of weaklings that he chose to rescue from a dungeon that we were not prepared for, why would he choose to join us? We’ll just hold him back. Everyone toasted to the new member of our group, so I reluctantly joined in. ‘I’m grateful for him saving us, but I don’t want to be a burden.’ “Sachi, right? You okay?” I jumped back to reality. Kirito was looking at me, his head tilted slightly. His eyes showed a layer of concern.

“I-I’m fine. Sorry.” I looked away from him as I said this. He still had a questioning look on his face, but didn’t press the issue. Soft candle light filled the room as we continued to party into the night, drinking and eating together, like a family. ‘Family…’ Flashbacks to that day came rushing into my mind. My breathing became shallow and fast, so I made my way to the stairs to go to my room. 

“Sachi? What’s wrong?” I could make our Decker’s voice calling out to me, but I ignored him and went upstairs. After closing the door behind me, I crumpled to the floor. Hot tears streamed down my face, running along my nose and lips before falling to the floor. I opened my menu and switched from my combat outfit to a nightgown. Footsteps came closer to my door, but kept going past until a door shut in the distance. ‘I don’t want anyone around.’ Minutes felt like hours as I let out all of my pent up emotions. A knock on my door made me sniffle and wipe my face. 

“Sachi? Can I come in?” 

‘Is that...Kirito?’

I rose from the floor and slowly opened the door for him, looking down at the ground the entire time. His boots stomped on the ground as he made his way into my room. I closed the door behind me and made my way to the bed, where I proceeded to sit. He pulled up a chair and sat down on the other side of the room from me. We sat in silence for a few moments before he asked me, “What happened to you?”

I shot my head up to look at him. His eyes, they were dark, but beneath their surface I thought I saw...suffering and anguish. “Look, I know we just met and you probably don’t trust me. That’s okay, I understand. But if we die in this game, we’re dead, for real. If you have anything that’s bothering you that could keep you from fighting, you can tell me.” His words shocked me. I honestly had no response to what he told me. ‘Can I tell him… even my friends don’t know what happened to me all those years ago.’ 

“Kirito…” I hesitated, then I told him everything. My tears could not be held back as I let all of the trauma I had been dealing with all this time out into the open. I watched his face as I told him. He was shocked at first, but as I continued I could see that he was listening to every word that left my mouth. The story took for ten minutes for me to tell, but even so, he sat there and took it all in. When I was done, I looked back down at the ground and let out a few more tears. Suddenly, I felt arms wrap around me. Without thinking, I grabbed his jacket and pushed my head into his chest. His hand rubbed the top of my head, reassuring me that everything would be okay. 

“Sachi, you have your friends who will always support you. We won’t let you die in this game, okay? I promise. And if you ever need anything, come to us, okay? Come to me.” My tears finally stopped flowing from my eyes, but all I could do was nod against him. I felt myself growing weaker before the world around me finally went dark.

When I awoke, the sun was already penetrating through the curtains into my inn room. I rubbed my eyes and sat up, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. My right hand swiped down, opening the menu. I went to my inventory and equipment to change my clothing, but noticed that I was still in my battle equipment. ‘I must have fallen asleep in it last night.’ Then it hit me. All the events from last night replayed in my head; my time with Kirito, alone in my room. I shook my head violently but could feel the heat coming from my face. ‘That was so embarrassing.’ I stood up and walked out into the hallway, then down the stairs into the foyer. Sasamaru waved to me as I came down the stairs, motioning for me to join the rest of my guild members. My eyes landed on Kirito and I quickly turned my head away from them, trying to hide my blushing cheeks. I sat down next to Tetsuo and Ducker. 

“Okay guys, I want to talk about our goal,” Keita spoke as he stood at the end of the booth table, addressing all of us. “I think with enough training, we can join the Clearers on the frontlines, we can actually help rescue people from this game.” 

The meeting went on after he said this, each of us expressing our concerns and ideas. Eventually, we decided that it would be a good idea to level and grow stronger, regardless if we tried to join the frontlines. After about an hour, Keita led us out into the field of floor eleven, “Let’s get stronger guys!”

‘June 22, 2023.’ I closed my menu and looked over to the right. Kirito was still sleeping next to me. We had started sharing a room, his presence made me feel safe. We even had our own shared inventory for potions and the like. I could not help but smile when I looked over at him, sleeping so peacefully. “Hey Kirito, it’s time to get up.”

He stirred slowly, eventually sitting up. I watched him yawn loudly, which made me giggle a bit. His dark hair was messy from sleep and bounced a bit when he stood up from the bed. We both got ready for the day, then met the others in Keita’s room. “Guys, we finally did it. We have enough Col to purchase our own house for the guild!” Everyone cheered, me included, much to my own surprise. “I’m going to head off to purchase!” 

I followed the others as Keita led us to the teleport gate plaza in the center of town. Once we arrived, he turned toward us and exclaimed, “I’m off” before vanishing in a bright blue and white light. We traveled back to the inn, awaiting Keita’s return. 

“Hey guys,” Ducker gathered all of our attention. “We should get some extra money for furniture and stuff. There’s a dungeon on the 27th floor, we should be more than strong enough now!”

“Yeah! Great idea,” Sasamura shouted. I could not help but agree, ‘Buying some furniture would be nice.’

“We should stick to our usual hunting spots, it would be safer,” Kirito shot down our idea, but the majority outweighed the opinion of one, so we got our things together and set out for the dungeon on the 27th floor of Aincrad. 

Blue crystalized walls comprised the area. I looked around the labyrinth, seeing only tunnels with no big open spaces. Kirito and Tetsuo led the way, witn Ducker close behind so he could spot any treasure around that may be hidden. Saramura and I stuck together, since we were the main damage dealers of our group. ‘There’s five of us, we’ve got this.’ I tried to reassure myself, but deep down it was a farce. I was terrified, this was the first time we had been to the newest floors of the game. “We don’t want to stay out here forever, we should head back around 6, Keita will probably be back around then,” Kirito called back to us. I nodded in agreement, then opened my menu. ‘It’s 5:15 right now, so another forty-five minutes of so.’ 

A few monsters spawned in front of us as we made our way deeper into the cave system. Tetsuo charged forward, waiting for the perfect moment that the monster would strike. I watched him successfully parry the attack, sending the creatures arm into the air and exposing its midsection. “Switch!” Sawamura leapt forward and attacked with a sword skill, dropping the beast into the red. Kirito swung his sword quickly, before the monster could recover, causing it to shatter into multi colored polygons and reward notifications to pop up in front of us.

We continued forward, the light from the walls allowing us to see our surroundings quite well. I was surprised that not many monsters had spawned to attack us. Ducker opened up a doorway which revealed a chest sitting in the middle of an otherwise empty room. “Alright!” He ran into the newly discovered room. 

“No wait!” Kirito was too late, I watched as Ducker finished opening the chest. Suddenly, the blue walls around us turned bright red and two hidden doorways opened, revealing a plethora of Granite Elementals and Dark Dwarf Miners. “Quick, use a teleport crystal!”

Ducker pulled out a crystal, “Teleport: Taft!” Nothing happened, I did not see any light surround him. “It’s not working!”

I started shaking and moved closer to Kirito, who had his sword drawn. We began attacking the monsters that surrounded us. Kirito was defeating them in one or two hits. It took everything I had to keep standing up, but I was managing to repel them. Screaming rocked my ears, and I looked over to see Ducker getting stabbed by Miner’s pickaxes before he vanished into pixels. ‘He’s...dead. My friend is… dead.’ Behind me, Kirito let out a battlecry and continued attacking, but when I looked at him, I could see the anguish on his face. Tetsuo screamed, and again, I watched as another friend of mine died right before my eyes, this time by the swipe of a Granite Elemental’s arm. “Tetsuo!” Sawamura roared before charing at the elemental with his spear. I watched as he was murdered too. ‘Their gone… they’re all gone…’ Again Kirito roared out in anger. An elemental was on top of me, but I used my spear to hold back its attack.

“Sachi!”

“Kirito!”

“Sachi!” 

I pushed the elemental back and reached out my hand towards his. ‘He’s right there, I just have to reach him. Kirito won’t leave me, just reach him!’ The look on his face told me everything I needed to know. I felt the attack hit my back. It sent me soaring across the room, but time felt slow as I looked into Kirito’s eyes. “Thank you… I’m sorry.” ‘Mommy, Daddy, Big Brother… I’ll see you soon.’

You are dead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! I have some more works on the way, it just takes time since I work full-time and have to make time for friends and family as well. I've been wanting to write longer fics (higher word count per chapter) so this takes more time as well. I'm debating writing exclusive stories between here and FFN. Thanks to anyone who leaves kudos and reviews! ~Javarack


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